Free Republic

While the Internet and the World Wide Web have certainly impacted the lives of many millions of people it is certainly not the greatest invention of the past millennium, in fact it might not even make the the top ten.

DESTROYER: Pope to Celebrate New Rite of Mass at Youth Synod Closing For those just now connecting the dots…Pattern of Liturgical Deviance Plenty of controversy now surrounds Pope Francis: his seemingly invalid election, his long pattern of heterodox teaching, the Viganò report implicating him in cascading sex abuse crimes, the ongoing Amoris Laetitia debacle, the Vatican sell-out to Communist China, pick your disaster.As this Pope’s penchant for “making a mess” shows no sign of diminishing to the peril of countless souls, we agree with Chris Ferrara’s assessment over at The Remnant, and his call (like Bishop Gracida’s) for an imperfect synod to defend the Church from Francis:...

Which was a more important innovation: indoor plumbing, jet air travel or mobile phones?We’re in the golden age of innovation, an era in which digital technology is transforming the underpinnings of human existence. Or so a techno-optimist might argue. We’re in a depressing era in which innovation has slowed and living standards are barely rising. That’s what some skeptical economists believe. The truth is, this isn’t a debate that can be settled objectively. Which was a more important innovation: indoor plumbing, jet air travel or mobile phones? You could argue for any of them, and data can tell plenty...

Scientists and engineers dream about big advances that could change the world, and then they try to create them. On the following pages, Scientific American reveals 10 innovations that could be game changers: an artificial alternative to DNA, oil that cleans water, pacemakers powered by our blood, and more. These are not pie-in-the-sky notions but practical breakthroughs that have been proved or prototyped and are poised to scale up greatly. Each has the potential to make what may now seem impossible possible. —The EditorsNew Life-Forms, No DNA Required Artificial organisms based on man-made molecules could thrive and evolveDNA is passé....

IBM has announced its fifth annual Next Five in Five – a list of five technologies that the company believes “have the potential to change the way people work, live and play over the next five years.” While there are no flying cars or robot servants on the list, there are holographic friends, air-powered batteries, personal environmental sensors, customized commutes and building-heating computers.3D telepresence It may not be a flying car, but it’s definitely one we’ve seen in sci-fi movies before – the ability to converse with a life-size holographic image of another person in real time. The futurists at...

Last Thursday, Israel celebrated 60 years as a modern nation. At 60, Israel has much to look back and be proud of. From its very first breath, Israel has had to fight for its life. The fact that this tiny oasis of freedom in the totalitarian Middle East is even around today to celebrate its 60th birthday is a testament unto itself. Depending on how you count, Israel has been involved in at least four wars against enemies who so vehemently and earnestly sought her destruction. Each time, Israel rose to the challenge, rallied its citizens and saved itself without...

The origins of ice-skating have been traced by scientists to the frozen lakes of Finland about 5,000 years ago, when people used skates made from animal bone. Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University have calculated that skating on the primitive blades would have reduced the energy cost of travelling by 10 per cent, suggesting that it emerged as a practical method of transport and not as recreation. Southern Finland has been identified as the most likely home of skating through an analysis of the shape and distribution of lakes in central and northern Europe, which shows that the early Finns would...

Hollywood socialite Nicole Richie has lent her voice to a campaign to stop dogs peeing on lamp posts. When Paris Hilton's dog-loving pal learned of Swedish inventor Lennart Järlebro's plans to design a urinal for dogs, she immediately vowed to spread the word in the United States. "This invention is just so clever. It's a cute rubber cup attached to the post and a hose that pipes urine into the gutter," Richie, 26, told the Daily Star. Lennart Järlebro began designing a toilet for dogs after reading a newspaper report about the corrosive effects of dogs' urine on lamp posts....

"In assessing the recent history of the Catholic Church, more than one commentator has applied the term "revolutionary" to what he has seen. Although there are some who intend this term's use in its empty corporate advertising sense (i.e., "very good"), most are attempting to draw to focus events and ideas pertaining to what can rightfully be considered a revolution. Indeed, there are fascinating insights to draw from the parallels between the progressive efforts to reform the modern-day Church, and prior revolutionary upheavals in various societies. In more ways than one, the tactics, tendencies and rhetoric employed by Protestant, Masonic,...

Scientific innovations developed by the Defense Department and in the private sector are helping to prosecute the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq while helping DoD to realize its transformation goals for tomorrow. DoD research conducted over the past 30 years has produced innovations such as the global positioning system and stealth and night-vision devices, Ronald Sega, director of defense research and engineering, told a House subcommittee here March 25. The department's science and technology programs, Sega said in a prepared statement to the House Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, continues to "be vital to the support of...

<p>Ultra-wideband: Imagine a television that can wirelessly send three different programs to separate monitors. Low-power, low-cost, and with roughly 45 times the data transmission speed of run-of-the-mill Wi-Fi, this wireless technology is finally ready to debut in the living room.</p>